John Flavel Always remember that, however soon and unexpected your parting with your relations was, yet your lease was expired before you lost them, and you enjoyed them every moment of the time that God intended them for you…Oh, if this had been done, or that omitted; had it not been for such miscarriages and oversights, my dear husband, wife, or child had been alive at this day! No, no, the Lord’s time was fully come, and all things concurred and fell in together to bring about the pleasure of His will. Let that satisfy you: had the ablest physicians in the world been there, or had they that were prescribed another course, as it is now so it would have been when they had done all…He who appointed the seasons of the year appointed the seasons of our comfort in our relations; and as those seasons cannot be altered, no more can these. All the course of providence is guided by an unalterable decree; what falls out casually to our apprehension yet falls out necessarily in respect of God’s appointment. Painting: Peasant Burial - by Erik Theodor Werenskiold (1855–1938)

We see precisely the same thing going on today. Under exactly the same circumstances and conditions, one is melted and another remains unmoved. Under the same sermon one man will listen with indifference, while another will have his eyes opened to see his need, and his will moved, to close with God's offer of mercy. To one the Gospel is revealed, to another it is "hidden." Why? All we can say is, "Even so Father, for so it seemed good in your sight" (Mat 11:26) ~ Arthur Pink 1886-1952

Investing is like planting an orchard. At the start, it's all work and zero fruit. After a few years, fruit starts to appear. After 10 years, you are reliably producing fruit. After 30 years, you're producing more fruit than your family could eat in a lifetime. ~Brian Feroldi